


Stormy Weather

by debwalsh



Category: Captain America (Movies), Captain America - All Media Types, Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Bad Weather, Bisexual Steve Rogers, Gay Bucky Barnes, Harlequin Hoopla, M/M, MHEA_Harlequin_2020, Marvel HEA, Pre-Serum Steve Rogers, Protective Sam Wilson, Steve Rogers cheats at cards
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-10
Updated: 2020-02-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 00:01:35
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,313
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22654423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/debwalsh/pseuds/debwalsh
Summary: When Bucky’s caught in a terrifying storm, he’s relieved to find a place to shelter.Sharing it with Steve Rogers, however ... well, that may be the best thing that’s happened to him yet.This fills the Marvel Happily Ever After Harlequin Hoopla 2020 prompt:  Romance - Day 10 - Caught in Bad Weather
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Steve Rogers
Comments: 9
Kudos: 174
Collections: MHEA Harlequin Hoopla Prompt Challenge 2020





	Stormy Weather

Bucky hunched over his steering wheel, gripping so hard, his joints started to ache.Outside his rental, a storm raged, rain battered the windshield like it had a personal grudge against him, the winds buffeting the car rising in anger and intensity.

His world narrowed down to the murky, fractured view of the headlights reflecting off the rapid fire raindrops, the consuming dark, the feel of the tires grabbing at - and loosing - the road, the sense of being one breath away from losing the battle with the eldritch god that raged against him.

Yeah, it felt personal.

And yeah, Bucky was starting to get scared.He could barely see beyond the curve of the windshield and he could feel his energy flagging as he fought to maintain control of the car.But he didn’t want to pull over to the side of the road because he’d be a target for any vehicle coming behind him.He needed to find a sheltered place to pull off the road and ride out the storm in relative safety.

He white-knuckled it for about ten or fifteen minutes until he saw something flash up ahead, to the left.He practically wept when he realized it was a sign, outlined in reflective material, indicating a private drive.Surely whoever owned that drive wouldn’t begrudge him parking his car until the worst of the storm blew through.

He blew out his breath in relief as he felt the tires bite into the gravel of the driveway, immediately feeling safer to be off the rain-slick roadway, and out of the path of any driver who wasn’t paying due attention to the dangerous storm.He could already feel the tension uncoiling in his neck, his shoulders starting to lower from where they were hunched up at his ears.

In point of fact, he was a blink away from tears of frustration and fear as the car moved smoothly over what must be a private driveway.Trees lined the drive, snapping back and forth in the wind, but somehow they screened out some of the rain so he could see more clearly and the car didn’t shudder as violently as he moved further away from the road.

Finally, he could see a darker mass amidst the gloom, vaguely building shaped with multiple floors and varying roofs and wings. 

So, not just off the road. 

Shelter.

As he came closer, the headlights revealed more of the building - a mansion, with mullioned windows winking back in the dark, an arched entryway, and a covered car park, with another car already present.

Shelter.Safety. Company.

If they let him in.

Hell, even if they didn’t, sitting in his car in the lee of the wind was better than risking his life on a windswept highway.

&&&

“Jesus, Sam, it’s about time!I’ve been worried sick - uh,” Steve called out as he wrenched open the door in response to the the heavy knocking, holding his emergency lantern as high as he could, given his just a smidge over 5 foot height. Instead of his buddy Sam, the most gorgeous specimen of godhood stood huddled under the portico, already drenched from the rain that appeared to be blowing sideways.“You’re not Sam,” Steve said, immediately cursing himself for sounding like the Stupidest Stupid to Ever Stupid.Because of course upon seeing this vision at the door, what he really wanted to do was be suave, debonair, and gloriously sexy.

“Uh, no.Sorry to disappoint. I’m Bucky.Um -“

“You’re soaked to the bone!God, get your ass in here!Sorry!It’s just I’ve been expecting my buddy Sam, and it’s been hours, and my phone’s run out of juice, and there’s no power, and -“

Bucky stepped into the mud room, and looked at Steve with a pathetic gratitude that made Steve shut up on the spot.Which, if Sam were here, he’d say was a minor miracle.Maybe even a sign of the end times.

“Would it be okay -“

Before Bucky could even finish the thought, Steve was nodding and tugging him into the mud room toward the kitchen, which was deliciously warm thanks to the gas oven running at full blast.It was lit with the mellow glow of a bunch of candles of varying heights, and circumferences, colors, and scents.Truth was, it was a little cloying, but it beat walking kneecap first into an appliance.

Tall, drenched, and dishy glanced around him a little perplexed, and nearly jumped out of his skin when Steve used his bossy voice to command, “Get out of your wet things and I’ll get you some towels.Have a seat in front of the oven.We may not have power, but we have gas, so far, so I can offer you something warm to eat and drink, just not a lot of light to see by,” Steve babbled as he bustled, and Bucky shrugged off his coat and draped it over the back of one of the chairs.Steve shoved a couple of towels at him, and Bucky smiled shyly, accepting the offering.

“Thanks.Say, my phone’s fully charged - you want to try to reach your friend?”

Steve was definitely in love.Gorgeous, here, and willing to share his phone with a stranger?“Yes, please,” Steve answered a bit more breathily than a cell phone warranted.Then he nodded to the stove top and the kettle full of warm coffee, and the cabinet where mugs sat.Feeling confident in his role as host (even though this was technically Tony’s house), he accepted the phone and took a few steps toward the living room to text Sam in sort of private.

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Sam this is Steve. Had 2 borrow phone.Where u at

SAM: Borrow from who? stuc here wethr hrrbl

UNKNOWN NUMBER: Bucky

SAM:Who the hell is bucky

UNKNOWN NUMBER:guy who was out in wethr

SAM: U OK

UNKNOWN NUMBER: He lent me his phone 2 txt u

SAM: Not serial killer MO

UNKNOWN NUMBER: so u stayin put

SAM: Safer that way 4 now

UNKNOWN NUMBER: ok my phone ded no powr use this nmbr to reach me

SAM: i will check in w ur lame ass evry hour

STEVENBUCKY (was UNKNOWN NUMBER):dont run down battry

SAM: 2 hrs then

STEVENBUCKY: ok stay safe

SAM: is he cute?

STEVENBUCKY: SAM!

SAM: u stay safe 2!

STEVENBUCKY: i h8 u

“Everything okay?” Bucky asked then, looking much more at ease as he leaned back against the counter, cradling his mug and breathing in the steam.His hair was messy, curling around his face, his obvious attempt to finger-comb only a partial success.But the soft expression on his face, the way his eyelids drooped at half-mast ...

“You must be tired.”

“Yeah.Hadda keep my wits out there.I won’t lie - I was fuckin’ scared.Thanks for letting me in.”He took a sip of his coffee, closed his eyes in pleasure, and breathed deep.Then he opened his eyes and smiled, lines crinkling pleasantly around his eyes, his cheekbones even more pronounced as the smile overtook his face.“Your friend okay?” he nodded toward his phone, still held in Steve’s hand.

“Yeah.He said he’s gonna check in every two hours.He thinks -“

“He’s worried.You’ve got a stranger in your house in the middle of nowhere while a huge ass storm rips the world apart.That’s a good friend.”

“Well, yeah, but it might drain your battery -“

“I got a coupla those lipstick chargers in my car.Hey, look, is it okay if I bunk in here until the storm passes?I promise I won’t be a bother -“

“Bother?You’re no bother! And trust me, stuck in the middle of nowhere while a huge ass storm rips the world apart, alone?I’m happy to have the company.Now, you want some help bringing your stuff in?”

&&&

Steve found them both a couple of rain slickers so that when they went out to unload Bucky’s car, they had some protection from the wind and rain.Trust Tony to have the good kind that snapped down the sides instead of just sit on top where the rain and wind could get under without impediment.So a couple of quick runs and they were done, only the legs of their jeans and shoes took on water.

“Ugh,” Bucky complained, hanging his slicker in the mud room where it could slough off rainwater with impunity.That left him with his jeans dark with rainwater from mid-thigh to his kicks.

“C’mon, you’d better get out of those wet clothes.There’s a fire going in the great room - I saw an old fashioned clothes rack in the laundry room.I’m guessing you’ve got sweats or something in your luggage?”

Bucky nodded. “Yeah, that sounds good. Bathroom?”

Steve indicated down the hall, beyond the great room. “Kinda chilly and there’s no hot water.But we got plenty of wood, we can get water from the tap, and the stove works. If you wanna bath later, we can probably figure a way to heat some water.”

“Sounds like a workout. I wouldn’t mind a wipe down, though, I was sweating bullets a coupla times there in the storm.”

Steve nodded and went over to one of the cabinets, where he drew out a big pot.“Help me get this filled and on the burner - it’ll take a bit, but there should be more than enough for a wash with this.”

As they worked together to fill the big pot - probably a lobster pot, considering its size - Bucky smiled softly.“You’re very kind,” he said, glancing shyly at a Steve.“You don’t have to open your home to me, and you don’t have to be so generous.”

Steve laughed at that.“Well, it’s not my home.It’s my buddy Tony’s. He and his wife Pepper are traveling on a delayed honeymoon.I’m house sitting.”

Bucky seemed alarmed at that. “Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here -“

“Trust me.Tony and Pepper would never turn someone away in weather like this.And with no power, I’m limited in entertainment options. Hard to read by candlelight, and there’re only so many hands of solitaire I can cheat at.You are a very welcome distraction,” Steve concluded, suddenly realizing that he might sound a little too enthusiastic to have this beautiful man on a sleepover.

“Cheat at solitaire, huh? So I’m thinking card games are out. Your friend Tony have any board games?Preferably ones you don’t cheat at?” Bucky asked as he settled the pot on the stove top. 

Steve stepped in and turned on the gas.“I only cheat when I’m playing by myself. It gets boring,” he whined, realizing he sounded like a little kid, but dammit, he’d been stuck in the dark with no other options for hours between when the storm knocked out the power, and when Bucky knocked on the door.

Bucky chuckled low under his breath, and Steve hip checked him gently.

“Get out of those wet things while the water boils.”

“What about you? You’re just as wet.”

“And I’ve got a wardrobe upstairs.I’m house sitting for a month, so I brought lots of clothes and shit. And I know where Tony stashes both his board games, and the good whiskey.”

“You sweet talker, you. Cheap entertainment and good booze - you sure know your way to a fella’s heart,” Bucky grinned at him, making Steve’s stomach do a swoopy thing. Then Bucky clapped him gently on the shoulder before he went to snag his overnight bag. “Speaking of, where am I sleeping?”

“Oh. Well, there’s heat in the great room and a coupla couches. Very comfy. I was planning to move in there tonight if the power doesn’t come back on. And I doubt it will - crews can’t risk being out in this except for emergency services, y’know?”

“Okay.Roommates it is. I’ll get changed and meet you,” he waved toward the great room.

“Uh, yeah. I’ll get changed and grab the games and booze. Oh, and I think I saw some stuff so we could make S’mores - I mean, if you’re into that sort of thing -“

“Steve, what do you take me for?Of course I’m into that sort of thing,” he answered with a low chuckle that frankly did things to Steve. “I love sweet things,” he tossed over his shoulder as he sauntered out of the candlelit kitchen, his sinful lips curved in a smirk that promised ... things. 

Steve had to pause and take a deep breath before he got caught up in imagining those ... things.And then he scurried off to get himself out of his wet clothes and into something warm and dry, and then collect the promised games and liquor.This was either going to be a very long storm, or possibly the start of something new.

&&&

The house was big by anyone’s standards but its owners, being just a weekend place to escape the city.Steve was, he explained to Bucky, just one of an army of friends who were house sitting across the country.At Bucky’s confusion, he explained, “It’s sort of a gift to each of us.We each got to pick where we stayed.Sam was supposed to stay here with me, but he’s stuck in the city.So he’ll probably bunk in at the penthouse til the weather clears.Then, I don’t know.”

“Penthouse, huh?This Tony friend of yours must be pretty well off.”

“Well, yeah.I guess he is.I’ve known him since we were kids, so he’s just Tony to me.But I guess to other people he’s kind of a big deal.”

“Don’t leave me hanging.Who is this Tony dude?”

“Stark.He’s Tony Stark.”

“Shit.This is Tony Stark’s place?” Bucky whistled. 

“One of ‘em, anyway.But it’s Pepper’s favorite.That’s why I picked it.”

“You like Pepper.”

“She’s amazing.She’s so good for him, too. I’m just glad he finally realized it.You ever meet someone and know they’re the perfect match for someone else you know?That’s how I felt about Pepper the first time I met her.That was grade school.It just took Tony like thirty years to figure it out for himself.”

“Well, I guess he can’t be a genius about everything.”

“Yeah, no.That’s why I like him, I guess.He’s super smart, but he’s a huge dork.And a good friend.I’m really happy he finally has his person, y’know?”

“That’s awesome.How ‘bout you?Is Sam your, you know?”

“God, no.Sam is kinda sorta straight.He’s mostly straight.But he’s in a pretty happy poly relationship with two other friends of mine.They make a weird sort of sense, you know?Like once they got together, all the pieces fell into place.So I guess he’s really bi. Or maybe demi, I dunno. He was never interested in men before Nat and Clint, but once they all got together - wow.It’s just that Sam plus Nat plus Clint equals happy for them all.”

“So why was he coming here and not going somewhere with them?”

“They’re both out of the country on business.The three of them will have Tony’s Vale place next month when they’re back.Sam was mostly coming out here to keep me company.Plus he gets a bit lonely when Nat and Clint aren’t around.”

“So, your friends Tony and Pepper are married.And Sam, Nat, and Clint are in a relationship. What about Steve?Is there someone special in your life?”

Steve blushed at that.He knew who’d he’d like to have apply for that role.He shook his head shyly, though.“No.Not right now.Once, I thought, maybe.But we’re better friends, and she found her person.They’re really happy, and her wife is expecting their first child this spring.”

“Wow.So, um, you’re ... straight?”

“Not hardly,” Steve chuckled. 

“No?” Bucky leaned in, smiling, and Steve was very much aware of how little real estate separated them on the couch facing the fireplace.

“No,” Steve shook his head.“Pegs was amazing, but she’s the only girl - woman - I’ve ever been interested in.If you don’t count Trixie Mattel.”

Bucky reared back with a barking laugh, and Steve immediately regretted the motion for the distance it put back between them.“You should.You definitely should.”

“Yeah, I think so, too.But what about you?Anyone special back ... wherever you come from?”

Some of the light went out in Bucky’s eyes then, and Steve had to contain himself not to reach out and gather him into his slender arms as he shifted even further away. “Ah.No.”Bucky didn’t elaborate further, and his tone of voice and tense body language told Steve that Bucky wouldn’t say anymore on the subject.More, it would probably permanently shut down any possibility of anything beyond proximity due to the need for shelter.

Okay, then.Steve needed to diffuse the sudden tension, and his host muscles kicked into gear.He knew exactly how to light up Bucky’s eyes again.

“So ... how do you feel about Risk?”

Steve was so right.Bucky’s sly smirk was back full force, and he immediately turned back toward Steve, reclaiming some of the lost ground as he purred, “Bring it on, punk.”

&&&

Steve was putting another log on the fire, keeping it banked nicely so the entire great room was warm and cozy.There was a large pile of seasoned wood resting in the rack beside the hearth, but the volume had decreased visibly since Bucky had arrived.From where he half-dozed on the couch in a tangle of pillows, blankets, throws, and afghans, he murmured, “That gonna last?”Because of course it was toasty and dry inside, but outside, the storm still raged, and even seemed to have intensified.It might be days or even weeks before was power was restored, and Bucky had seen more than one downed tree on his perilous trip here.And they’d been hearing what sounded like crashes for the past few hours.So yeah, Bucky was concerned.

Steve looked up confused, but when Bucky waved his hand in the general direction of the wood pile, he smiled.“Yeah.There’s tons more on the back porch, and even more in the wood shed.We’d have to be stuck in a blizzard for like a month to run out, I think.”

“Nice.Okay, so shelter is taken care of, we’re two for two on Risk and I’m gonna get you back in the morning, you just wait! You got the food situation covered, heat’s good.I have those lipstick chargers and if we ever get any sun again, I’ve got a solar charger.So phone is covered, maybe even the laptop.So that just leaves ... sleeping arrangements?”

“Well, it’s warm in here.So I was planning to take that end of the couch,” he nodded toward the other end of the L-shaped couch Bucky wasn’t lying on, “and I figured you’d just stay where you are.”

“Thought you had a bedroom upstairs.Heat rises, after all.”

“Yeah, I do.But ...”

“You telling me you wanna sleep with me, punk?” Bucky asked lazily, surprised at the innuendo spinning through his own words.Bucky would be lying if he said he didn’t find Steve Rogers to be adorable, thoroughly attractive, bitingly funny, and so not his normal type.But that made him even more alluring, if he was being honest with himself.Steve was nothing like the guys Bucky usually ended up with, and boy was that a pleasant surprise.He’d begun to wonder if he could only pick guys who were bad for him, self-destructive even.And yet in just a few hours, just being around Steve had Bucky’s insides lit up like those lantern festivals - all light and air and joy.It wasn’t just that it had been a while - there were apps for that, after all.It wasn’t just that there was no one waiting at home, either - he’d gotten used to the quiet, so different from the angry silence of the dying days of a relationship.Steve was more than cute and funny.And yes, sexy.He was kind, intelligent, and uber-competitive. 

He was fun.

And he was sitting on his haunches by the fireplace, staring at Bucky with an expression that was a wild mixture of hope, lust, and disbelief.

So Bucky was going to take that as interested, check. He smiled at Steve then, not a predatory smile, or a come-hither smile, but a genuine smile, full of delight.“If I hadda be stuck somewhere without power, and Mother Nature fit the split the world in two, I’m glad I get to spend it with you.Even if you do cheat at cards.”

“You try playing solitaire for six hours straight with no company, and see if you don’t end up cheating, too,” Steve grumped, but there was mischief in his eyes when he said it.

“Yeah, okay. You keep tellin’ yourself that, punk.”

“Yeah, okay.Maybe I will.I dunno ‘bout you, but all this sitting around with your dumb ass’s made me sleepy.”

“You love it,” Bucky blurted, tracking Steve’s reaction - darkened pupils, lips parted, a sudden, tiny grasp, and a little bit of swish in his walk as he made his way over to his end of the couch. 

“Yeah, maybe I do, jerk,” Steve admitted as he opened the big tufted leather ottoman and tugged out his own collection of pillows and bedding and arranged it to his liking.

“Good to know, punk,” Bucky grinned, snuggling down in his nest.And it was good to know.He felt like he’d won something precious. He was smiling as he fell asleep.

Across the couch, so was Steve.

&&&

He woke slowly, feeling warm and safe and thoroughly rested.With a happy sigh, he snuggled in deeper, listening to the silence.

Which made him open his eyes, and try to sit up abruptly.

Try being the operative word, as Steve found he couldn’t sit up because of the arms that wrapped snugly around him, anchoring him and holding him in place.Steve turned to find himself held in the embrace of one Bucky Barnes, who snuffled sweetly, still sleeping.

Steve shifted so he was half-sitting up, still within the circle of Bucky’s arms, so he could take stock.The room was bathed in morning light, a glittery, pristine kind of light, casting brilliant stripes across the floor, even as the fire in the grate still glowed.It would need feeding soon, or the chill would creep in.He was snug and warm, though, in his pile of blankets, and Bucky wound round him.They were at the center of the L, where both ends came together.Apparently they’d migrated toward each other in their sleep, and ended up wrapped up in each other.

Not that Steve was complaining.At all.He kind of had this feeling of ... well, of previewing.What the rest of his life might look like, now that he’d opened the door and found Bucky Barnes on the other side.It felt right that in sleep, they’d gotten past the awkwardness of a first meeting, and simply found each other.

The storm had ended, and the silence that Steve heard was the wind stilled, the rain ended.The fury of nature had given way to renewal.At the very least, respite, recovery. The power hadn’t come back, but it didn’t sound like nature was on a murderous rampage any longer.

“You’re the only person I’ve ever met who thinks so loud,” Bucky murmured from where he lay, his voice betraying the smile that Steve knew was there before he even looked at the other man.

“The storm is over,” Steve said softly.

Bucky blinked then, his cheeks pinking in a rush as he realized he had Steve in an unbreakable embrace.He let go like Steve was made of living fire, and sat up, scooting backward, his eyes wide and mortified.

“Do you have to?” Steve asked, chuckling softly.

“Have to?” Bucky repeated with a squeak.

“Let go?I was kinda comfy.I mean, it’s okay if you don’t wanna let go, I just ... I just liked it, is all.”

“Yeah?” Bucky asked, relaxing, letting himself drift back toward Steve.He shifted so he was sitting up, back against the back of the couch, and let his arms fall open.Steve smiled and settled back against Bucky’s chest and shoulder, and hummed when Bucky’s arms closed loosely around his torso. 

“Yeah. A fella could get used to waking up next to you.Like, really easy.You know, it’s gonna take the crews some time to clear the roads and get the power up and running.You in a hurry to get somewhere?”

Bucky leaned forward to rest his chin on Steve’s shoulder, and turned his face so he could place a featherlight kiss on Steve’s cheek. “Y’know?I really am not.What I would like is bathroom, then breakfast.Then I’m gonna wipe the floor with you in Risk.”

“Think so, huh?”

“You betcha.”

“But I’m gonna want a rematch then.”

“I’m counting on it,” Bucky said with a smile, tipping Steve’s chin gently with his finger to bring his lips in alignment with his own. 

“Could be the world’s longest Risk tournament.I don’t back down.”

“Counting on that, too,” Bucky agreed with another smile-laced kiss. 

It took a while, but they finally sorted themselves out for bathroom, teeth brushing, food, a quick look outside, and then a marathon Risk tournament that all these years later, they still indulge in.They even convinced their friends to play a living Risk game at their wedding reception, proving once again how evenly matched they are.

And how perfect they are for each other.

&&&


End file.
